Particle.news

Willenhall’s £5m Cycle Lane Faces Local Backlash Over Value

The dispute highlights fresh scrutiny of DfT-funded active travel projects over whether they deliver clear benefits.

Overview

  • National and local coverage on Friday put the £5,037,792 price tag, about £4,198 per metre, at the center of the row over value for money.
  • The 1.2km route runs from Pinson Road past the new Willenhall railway station to Rose Hill and remains only partly complete after more than a year of works.
  • Residents cite a disjointed layout that makes users cross the road eight times and complain about narrowed traffic lanes close to homes.
  • Local shop staff and a restaurant owner report lost footfall during the roadworks, and a Labour ward councillor called the scheme a waste and urged business compensation.
  • Walsall Council leader Adrian Andrew says the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund paid for the scheme to make cycling safer and strengthen links across the borough.